“Be specific.”
I find myself writing this over and over when working my way through a manuscript.
“Specific details help
us picture the scene.”
However, I should point out that this only works for the important details. Mundane details, such as the specific order in which the character dresses, what side of the bed she rolls out of, or what type of soap she uses in the shower, are NOT needed.
Summarize the mundane details; be specific with the important ones. These are the details that show the scene, that are unique to the character, that vary from the norm. It takes practice and talent to decide which details are important and which are not. Next time you are giving details, ask yourself if those you choose are details that paint a picture, or details that don’t really tell us anything.
Here is an example:
Carrie opened the red door to the hotel room. She saw a king-sized
bed with a hotel-issue floral-patterned bedspread. She sighed. This would be
her home for a while, so she needed to get used to that fact and make it work.
She shut the door and dropped her bag with her clothes and toiletries on the
cheap wooden dresser. By the window was a small table where she stacked her
dictionary, her laptop, and a copy of the Chicago Manual of Style. She flopped
onto the bed and turned on the bedside lamp. There was a second lamp on the
other side of the bed, as well as one by the TV.
Is anyone still awake
after reading this? I almost fell asleep writing it. Can you picture this room?
It’s just a generic hotel room. We know it has a bed a table and lamps. Don’t
all hotel rooms have these? So why did we have to sit through that? And after a
description like that, do we even want to continue reading? Maybe to battle
insomnia.
If there isn’t
anything specific about the room, then don’t waste your words describing it.
You can add some detail if needed using active descriptions. Active
descriptions are those where the reader is given details as the character is
interacting with the object/setting instead of stopping the story to describe
it.
Carrie pushed the door open with her hip and wrestled her duffel- bag through
the doorway. She dropped it in front of the dresser, plopped her book bag on
the table by the window and after locking the door, she finally sat down and
took a deep breath. Safe. This room would be her home for a while, but
she didn’t mind as long as she was safe. No one could find her now.
It seems that in this
paragraph, the layout of the room isn’t the main focus. Her plight is. Who
cares about the room?
If, however, you do
want the room to be a focus for mood or tone, then pick out the unusual details
that do this. The telling details.
Carrie’s suspicion about the age of the hotel had been confirmed when the desk
clerk handed her the key. Not one of those new key-card keys, but a metal key
dangling from a stained plastic fob. And now as she struggled to roll her
suit-case over the cracked sidewalk toward the room, she wondered if she had
made a mistake.
After she fiddled with the lock to the point of frustration, the door finally
opened. The odor of musty carpet mixed with the twang of too much air
deodorizer hit her in the face. She wondered how long it had been since this
room had fresh air. This is the last place anyone would ever think to
look for me, she thought, and went into the room.
She plopped her bag and suitcase on the bed, which had a definite depression in
the center, and sighed, wondering if it was safe to sit on this bed-spread.
Safe? Compared to what she had been through the past few weeks, a spotted
bed-spread wasn’t gonna scare her off. Even after she saw the paint chipped off
of the wall behind the headboard. She crinkled her nose.
She walked
to the window and pulled the curtains back. The glass was dusty and several
dried-up moth carcasses littered the sill, with a few more ground into the
carpet below. Once again, she crinkled her nose. This was going to be her home
for a while and it was all she could afford. Luxury was not an option. She just
needed to borrow some supplies and clean the room herself. That made her feel
better and she stood watching the dark clouds roll across the sky.
Yes it’s longer, but
can you get a feel for this room and how it ties in with her plight?
Guest Blogger Bio
Catherine is the owner
and an editor at Critiquemynovel.com. She has written one novel and has a
writing help book on the drawing board. She is an Army veteran who went back to
school after eight years in the Army and rediscovered her passion for the
written word.
Website: http://critiquemynovel.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/proofing
FB Profile: https://www.facebook.com/catherine.yeditor
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This was interesting, something we have to consider when writing. It's always nice to rethink the process, so thanks for posting this.
ReplyDeleteDescriptions are important, but Catherine is right, they can get boring, and yet are important to set up the mood.
The second is a great improvement over the first. The third sample goes into more detail making it seem as if the motel will be the center of the story for awhile.
Excellent post. Using the right amount of description--or using description properly--is an art itself.
ReplyDeleteYes! I'm guilty of writing too many insignificant and boring details, especially in my first draft. I need to concentrate solely on details that matter to the story, character, plot, or mood and then cut all the rest. After all, I don't want readers "yawning" through my books.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Thanks for the reminder, Catherine.
Thanks for reading and for the great comments. The newest post on my blog is about Point of View. I'd love to hear about your experiences with this sticky subject.
ReplyDeletehttp://critiquemynovel.wordpress.com/2013/08/20/point-of-view/
Thanks,
Catherine